Adam Scott not ready to take over No. 1 throne

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Adam Scott threw his golf glove down for a fan as he walked on a crossing bridge following his final round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational late Sunday afternoon.

Another throwaway souvenir on a day when many things were lost.

Putting game? Check.

Potential No. 1 ranking? See ya.

Three-shot lead going into the final 18 holes? Gone.

Matt Every shot a 6-under 66 to overcome a four-stroke deficit despite two bogeys in the last three holes that could have made things a lot more dramatic.

But Keegan Bradley missed a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 18 that would have forced a playoff, diverting much of the drama on Scott's inability to close. Scott shot a 4-over 76 to finish third, two strokes behind Every.

It wasn't an epic meltdown but surely left Scott scarred as he prepares for the Masters. Scott had five bogeys on Sunday, starting with the first hole and ending on No. 17. But perhaps the most crushing blow of the day was on 16: After just missing a 20-foot eagle putt, he missed a four-foot try for birdie and had to settle for par.

Game over.

"Sometimes you have to be hard on yourself," Scott said. "Sometimes you don't. I was getting into a good spot and had the opportunity to run away with an event and really take a lot of confidence. Some opportunities you've got to take."

Advertisement

Scott had the cruise-control thing going all week but whiffed on the chance to join Fred Couples (1992) as the only wire-to-wire winner in tournament history. Couples went on to win the Masters, a target now on Scott's mind as he prepares to tangle with the fabled azaleas at Augusta on April 10.

A victory here would have put Scott in position to overtake Tiger Woods for the No. 1 ranking on the Monday of Masters week. Woods was missing in action this weekend with a bad back. Scott went missing in action Sunday.

He labeled himself "annoyed."

I'd suggest something a little stronger.

Scott is the defending Masters champion. He played like the guy who can't shoot straight at the Dubsdread pro-am. He led this tournament by seven strokes at the halfway mark. Golf isn't like Vegas. You need to close.

"This is not going to be good for his confidence going into Augusta, not at all," said NBC Sports golf analyst Johnny Miller.

Scott seems vulnerable to the fickle beast that is golf -- on any level -- despite his breakthrough win at the Masters last year. He has just 10 career titles, the most recent a win at the Barclays in August.

Now he'll always have Orlando.

Australia, too.

Scott's bogey on the final hole of the Australian Open in December sealed another meltdown in a tournament in which he almost led from start to finish.

"I really think the putting let me down on both of those occasions," he said. "Today was a bit shaky. But this course was asking a lot from everyone. And my short game just wasn't there. So that needs to be tightened up and probably shows that I need to do a bit more work on it to hold up under the pressure."

Beneficiary, Mr. Every.

"I know he's a stud, but I don't know how many times he's had a seven-shot lead," the University of Florida alum said.

"I guarantee you it's not easy to play with a seven-shot lead. You have almost nothing to gain. If you win, yeah, you should have won, you were up by seven. And then if you lose, it's oh, you know what I mean?

"So things happen. It's a weird game."

Another guy may have limped away from Bay Hill after kicking himself in the behind so many times. An affable Australian, Scott stopped by rows of fans and obliged a bunch of people waiting behind the ropes for an autograph.

Scott signed and smiled, apparently taking his first steps to erase the unhappy experience of Sunday's bouncy round.

The fans left with nice memories of the day.

Scott left with something missing:

His name inscribed on Arnie's trophy, and the $1,116,000 winner's purse.